Please God
Almighty God,
since without you we are not able to please you,
mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit
may in all things direct and rule our hearts,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Most of us want to please God. Most of the time, at least. We love the Lord deeply, enjoy labouring in his harvest field and are looking forward to that day when he welcomes us home. He is, after all, the One who has given us so much: forgiveness, adoption, a purpose and call — both in mission and personal holiness. Without him, life has no meaning. That “well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23) will be a joy to receive. Pleasing him is a high privilege indeed.
But pleasing him can be a confusing path to tread. Our old self, in every aspect of our life, nudges us back to thinking we please via works not acceptance of grace. So often there is a part of our heart that longs to please him by interpreting his word faithfully, proclaiming him clearly, defending him passionately, or serving him tirelessly. And, whilst those things are certainly good things to do, he is more interested in a relationship than our efforts — he takes more pleasure in our dependence than us exhausting ourselves to pursue our plans.
In theory we know that, already, don’t we? “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain” (Psalm 127:1) we assert. “To him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20) we pray. We know that Hebrews’ verse, “ without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). He is the Good Shepherd who leads and provides. And yet, so often, we prioritise doing over depending. The devotions get squeezed, and the dialogue we engage in most is with our friends (or foes) rather than our Father.
As today’s collect reminds us, we can do nothing without him. There isn’t a single action in our past or present that has brought him an ounce of pleasure other than those that have had humble dependence at their core. We don’t know the way to go — we are far too limited for that. The only power we have to effect change in our relationships, in our churches, in our denomination is the one that comes from on high. And there isn’t a strategy in the world that trumps expressing that dependence through prayer (asking for his help) and rest (showing, tangibly, that we really know that we and those around us ultimately need him, not us, to work).
Is this a license for lethargy? Not in the slightest! There are still “good works, which God prepared in advance” (Ephesians 2:10). But it is a call to reprioritising. It is a call to please God afresh: by knowing that he is almighty, by acknowledging we have no power, by articulating his need to direct us, by asking for his Spirit to act within and through us. And by expressing that not in fight or flurry but in faith. Then, and only then, we will know truly what it is to please God.
So pray this with me:
Almighty God,
since without you we are not able to please you,
mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit
may in all things direct and rule our hearts,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.